Festival by the Bay

[john]

I was at a music festival and this scene stopped me in my tracks. I thought gee, this would make a good painting. That was six years ago.

Problem was that the scene is complicated and difficult, for me anyway. I'm no portrait painter. So I simplified and then added and generally wrestled with this for way too long. Along the way I took a liking to the genre "magic realism" which further complicated things. This is the result. I tried to oil out to even out the dark values but it beaded, so I added some Gamsol but then paint started coming off. So there's still some beading but I just need to leave it alone now, but I still need to darken the sky maybe and the light on the canopy is a little lacking also. Thanks for looking.

Festival by the Bay 16 x 20 inches oil on panel

 

[stevenD]

Very nice recreation...!

 

[OliveOyl]

I like this! I think the way the people are standing seem "correct," meaning...that you've captured the weight and feeling of their stances in a believable way. I also love the guy in the middle and yes of course, I vote for simplifying whatever bits of a scene that any painter feels like simplifying. Artistic license and all that jazz. Personally, I like the sky as it is but, your call. And I wonder if the lighter parts on the ground could be even more "aglow" so that the ground is intensely lit and the shadows appear even deeper? Again, your call. And I'm sorry that....even though nobody asked my opinion...I gave one! I'm so adorable in that way.

 

[Terri]

Brilliant interpretation of a busy, difficult image. Bravo! This was a tough one and there was a lot to work through here.

Technical issues aside, I think you did great!

 

[Jo Castillo]

This is great and a pleasure to see and investigate the characters. I like it.

 

[john]

Thank you Steven, OliveOyl, Terri and Jo.

Olive, point taken, but in my defense, the darks and lights in the foreground and elsewhere are confusing both in the pic and IRL. Sometimes they seem dark and other times lighter. From further away they seem darker but closer the foreground seems brighter. Like my sig in lower left is easily seen IRL because the foreground is lighter. The foreground had been lighter but at the last minute I made it darker. It was more streaky and I didn't like it. Don't worry about being critical. I like the feed back and sometimes I can't see what's in front of me. It's too close. Plus, I think I may have been critical and opinionated once before on something or other? so I should take it. In theory. Remember that older site that had the open critique forum? That thing was the worst. Ugh.

 

[Artyczar]

Wonderful! That sky is to die for, by the way. I love it. I like all the marks in this--how they are blending into each other, especially the ground. I love seeing all that "work." The darkness seems correct to me since it's a night scene. It's really cool John!